Constant-volume governor.



Patented Dec. 11

$9 I n I fluid motor having a ea ers.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTG COMPANY, ACORPORATION OF YORK.

Patented Dec. 111, 1917.

' Application filed March 28, 1916. Serial No. 87,193.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD H. Rfon, a citizen of the United States,residing at- Lynn, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Constant-VolumeGovernors, of which the following is a speclfication.

The present application relates to constant volume 'overnors forcentrifugal compressors, an has for its object to1prov1de an improvedregulating mechanism, by means of which the compressor may be made todeliver widely varying volumes at constant pressure.

For a consideration of what I believeto be novel and my invention,attention is directed to the accompanying specification, and the claimsappended thereto. r

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is, an end elevatlon of a motordriven compressor embodying my invention, parts being broken away forpurposes of illustration; Fig. 2 is a detached perspective view of aleverage arrangement; and Figs. 3- and 4 are sectional views of details.

Referring to the drawing, 3 indicates a centrifugal compressor, forexample an air compressor, having a shaft 4, impeller 5, and dischargevanes 6. In the present instance it is'shown as bein V fluid turbine, 7in mating the regulating valve mechanism of the turbine, and 8 a ilotvalve 9, for actuatin the valve mec anism. 10 indicates the in ctconduit for the compressor. The exhaust conduit does not show in thedrawing, but it will be understood that the com pressor is of a usualtype. Connected with the inlet conduit byan elbow 11 i an,-en-,largement comprising two conical members. 12 and 13 having their largeends united. Within the enlargement and arranged to float or ride on theincomin fluid-is a float 14 carried by a stem 15 which projects outthrough the elbow 11. The upper end. of, the stem is threaded asindicated at 16 and engages with a threaded'nut 17 which is piv otallyconnected to a beam.18. As shown in Fig. 3 the nut 17 has a pin19'whichpro-'1 'jects through a sleeve 20 on the beam and is held in place by anut 21. The upper end I of stem 16 carries a hand wheel 22 for turn ingit. The hub 23 on the hand wheelacts driven by an elastic as a stop tolimit the downward movement ofthe stem. On the stem below the nut 17 isan adjustable stop 24 to limit the movement of the stem in the otherdirection. The

beam 18 is fixed at'25 on a shaft 26 and car-.

ries an adjustable weight 27. 28 is a suitable dash-pot connected to thebeam 18, and

29 and 30 are two scales on the beam to guide the attendant inadjustingthe weight. The weight 27 may be moved along the scale beam 18in any suitable manner. In the present instance it is supported on thebeam by a roller 31 which runs -in grooves 32in the top face of thebeam, an is movedalong the beam byfla threaded ro 33 which passe througha threaded opening in. a lu 34 .on the weight. The rod 33 is journaledin the two ends of the'beam and'is fixed against longitudinal movement.It is turned by a hand wheel 35 held in place on the end of the rod by awing nut 36 which screws on to the reduced threaded end 37 of, the rod.The hand wheel has a longitudinal groove 38 (Fig. 4) in which a key 39fixed to the rod 33 slides. This permits the hand wheel to slidelongitudinally on the rod between the end of the beam and the wing nut36, but fixe it against circumferential 43. The other end or lever 43 isconnected to a speed governor 44 by link 45, arm 46, rod 47, and arm 48.The rod 47 'is pivoted in the supporting post 41 and in a sleeve 49thegoverhor' which'engages theend of arm 48 to move it. The floatinglever 43 is conon the governor casing, and arms 46 and 48 j are fixed toit. 50. indicates the" spindle of nected .to the stem of pilot valve 9of'the I fluid motor 8" by rod 51 and lever 52, which is pivoted at 53'on the endof alever 54. The lever 54 has a fixed'pivot .55 and hasv its.

other end connected to the stem 56- of the valve mechanism asshown at57.

- In operation the floatis'adjusted to either its full line or dottedline position, according to the amount of fluid to be delivered. In theupper position, 2'. a, the full line position of the drawing, the floatcorresponds osition to the lower scale, and in the lower to the upperscale. In the present lnstance the lower scale is shown as beingraduated raised, thus tilting the beam 18 on it pivot shaft 26.' Thisturns the arm 42 and lowers the left-hand end of floating lever 43, thesame pivoting on the link 45, which is held stationary by the speedgovernor. The lever 43 moves rod 51, and throughlever 52 lowers thepilot valve 9, the lever 52 pivoting at The pilot valve then admitsmotive fluid above the piston of the fluid motor 8 in the usual and wellknown manner, causin it' to move downward and close oftslightly thevalve mechanism7. The movement of the valve mechanism 7 returns thepilot valve to its original position, since by such movement it turnsthe lever 54 on its pivot 55 and thus lifts the right-hand end offloatin lever 52, which now pivots on rod 51. This, as will bereadilyrecognized, forms a usual form of follow-up device. In case of adiminution in the flow, the float will lower slightly and the sameoperation will take place as just described, except in the oppositesense.

The speed governor44 is not a governor in the usual sense, but is morein the nature of an emergency or speed limiting device. llt is so setthat so long as the speed does not exceed a certain predeterminedmaximum, it has no effect on the regulating mechanism, the same beingwholly controlled by the volume governor. In case, however, thepredetermined maximum speed is exceeded, then the governor takes controland prevents it from becoming excessive.

The zero positions of the two scales are at the same point, but forsmall flows, in the present instance, for example, flows of 15,000or-le'ss, the float cannot be used when adjusted, to the upper. positioncorresponding to the lower scale, because in such upper position thesmall quantity of air being handled is not suficien-t: to effect itsaccurate operation. This is due ,to the fact that in the upper positionof thefloat the space between its periphery and the wall of the conicalsection 13 is of so great an area that the smaller quantities of airdonot "have sufli cient eflect on the float to operate it. When itoccupies a lower position in the conical section, theiarea between itsperiphery and the wall of such section is materially olecreased, so thatthe'incoming air when in small quantities acts on the float suflicientlyto eflect the regulation of the machine.

By my improved arrangement, therefore, I provide a volume governingmechanism for a compressor which can be adjusted so that the compressormay be used to deliver volumes of flow varying through a much widerrange than has previously been capable of accomplishment.

Furthermore, by providing the two stops 23 and 24, the adjusting of .thefloat for either scale becomes a simple matter and does not require theservices of a skilled operative. Once the stops are correctly adjusted,they need not bechanged.

While ll have shown the float as being fixed on the rod, and the rodadjustably connected to the beam, this being the preferred form ofmyinvention, it will be understood that my invention is not necessarilylimited to this arrangement,-as any other arrangement-which adjusts thefloat relative to the conical section may be used.

lln accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, T havedescribed the principle of operation ofmy invention, together with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof;but I desire to have it understood that the appa ratus shown is onlyillustrative, and that the invention canbe carried out by other means.

-Vi/ hat ll claim as new, and desire to seme cure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, 1s

1. The combination of a compressor having an inlet conduit and adischarge, conduit, a motor for driving the compressor, not regulatingmeans for the motor, a tilting beam connected to the regulating means, aplurality of scales, an adjustable weight on theloeam cooperatmg withthe scales, a float in the inlet conduit, means connecting it to 110 thetilting beam, and means for adjusting the float to diflerent positionsin the-inlet conduit to correspond to the respective scales.

2. The combination of a compressor hav- 1115) ing an inlet conduit, asection'of which is conical inishap'e, a motor for driving it,regulating mechanismfor the motor, a pivoted beam connected to theregulating mechanism, a plurality of. scales, on the beam, an 1120adjustable weight onthe beam cooperating with the scales, a floatfin theconical section,

means connecting it to the beam, and means for adjusting it to thediflerent positions the conical section to correspond to the re 1 25spective scales.

3. The combination of a compressor having an inlet, a section of whichis conical in shape," a motor for driving it, regulating mechanism forthe motor, a pivoted beam the scales, a float in the conical section, arod connected to the regulating mechanism, a

plurality of scales on' the beam, an adjust-' able weight on the beamcooperating with the scales, 2. float in the conical section, a rodconnecting it to the beam, and means whereby the rod may be adjusted tobring the float to difl'erent positions in the conical section tocorrespond to the respective scales.

4. The combination of a compressor having an inlet, a section ofwhich isconical in shape, a motor for driving it, regulating mechanism for themotor, a pivoted beam connected to the regulating mechanism, a

plurality of scales on the beam, an adjustable weight on the beamcooperating with connecting it to the beam, means whereby the rod may beadjusted to bring the'float to different positions in the conicalsection to correspond to the respective scales, and

' justingmovements of the float,

stops on the rod for fixing the extent of its movements.

5. The combination of "a compressorhaving an inlet, a section of whichis conical in shape, a motor for driving it, regulating mechanism forthe motor, a pivoted beam 7 conical section to correspond to therespec-' tive scales, and stops for limiting the ad In witness whereof Ihave-hereunto set my hand this twenty fourth day of March,

RICHARD H. RICE.

